In following the changing view towards the concept that human beings are the only “self-aware” animals on the planet, i have been studying the tests and definitions of what self awareness actually means, and how it is “Graded”……
The main test seems to be the mirror test:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_test
The Mirror Test, or MSR, tests to see if an animal can recognize itself in a mirror, as opposed to thinking that the thing in the mirror is just another animal.
” Very few species have passed the MSR test. As of 2015, only great apes (including humans), a single Asiatic elephant, dolphins, orcas, and the Eurasian magpie have passed the MSR test. A wide range of species have been reported to fail the test, including several species of monkey, giant pandas, sea lions, and dogs.”
The Manta Ray is also said to have self-awareness in this BBC article……. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-48981458#=
Interestingly enough, some ants and fish pass the MSR test, which has shifted the idea of where and how this self-awareness develops.
Reality is Dharma 